Poll the 1,891 runners at the 16th annual Johnny's Runnin' O the Green road race in downtown Rochester on Saturday for their motivation to run, you would probably get a long list of different responses.

But for Rochester resident Wayne Evans, he runs because his girlfriend, Jenna Lettenberger, pushes him.

"I make him run with me as much as possible," said Lettenberger, 27.

"I was curious if she was going to give the honest answer there," Evans, 26, interjected with a huge grin. "We typically run at her pace. But this race is for fun, not for time."

Evans finished the 5-mile course that loops through downtown and the University of Rochester's River Campus in 42 minutes, 16.9 seconds, which was 1.3 seconds faster than Lettenberger.

But like many of the other entrants, Evans said the race's fun atmosphere and camaraderie brought him back for the fourth time. Evans and Lettenberger were part of a group of eight people who wore green tutus with some sporting shamrock stickers on their faces.

"I just feel guilty drinking if I don't do something like this in the morning," Evans said with a chuckle. "But seriously, the people here are hilarious. It's a well-run event. It's just a blast. It's just a good time. It's a good balance between people who want to go fast and people who want to have fun."

Kiplangat Tisia, 25, a native of Kenya and now a Rochester resident, completed the course in 24:28.2 to win the men's race. It was Tisia's first time competing in the race. East Syracuse's C. Fred Joslyn, a former standout at Cortland State, was second in 25:46.5. Conesus resident Chris Mateer, a former runner at SUNY Geneseo, was third in 26:10.9.

"It's been a while since I ran, so I didn't how it was going to go," said Tisia, who earned $500 for the win. "But I am glad I got through it and did what I did out there. I had fun. It was nice."

1,891 runners competed March 15 in the Johnny's Runnin' O the Green.
Video by Will Cleveland

University of Rochester student Sarah Loerch won the women's race for the second consecutive year. The 28-year-old Loerch, who is a doctoral student in biophysics, finished in 29:26. Rochester's Danielle Brenon was second (30:25.4) and Palmyra's Sarah Newsome was third (31:43.3).

"It feels pretty good," Loerch said. "There is always a little bit of pressure when you've already won and you want to win again. Everyone is on your tail. I am really happy.

"I tried to stick with people, because it's so windy on the (way) out (heading toward the University of Rochester). I kind of stuck with a couple of guys and I went a little too fast, to be honest. That was pretty tough in the third mile. But when you come back, you have a tail wind. Then I was just trying to pick it up and hold on as long as I can."

Both Loerch and Tisia noted that the Johnny's race marks the beginning of the Rochester racing season, making strategy a little difficult to determine.

"I didn't have a strategy," Tisia said. "It's the beginning of the season, so you just go out there and knock yourself out. Run as fast and as quick as you can."